A/N: So, in a hopefully not overly cliched kind of way I'm going to keep throwing Sam and Steve together, much like how I play the Sims. "Oh, you two don't like each other? Too bad. NOW KISS." - When I keep pairing them together until they admit defeat. JK, Sam and Steve are so meant for each other. Conversely, I will die alone (with plummuffins and about 20 cats) because I will never find my own Captain. *sobs* Oh well. Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the pigeon story, it was based on true events. I was at a friend's house, came home, my windows had mysteriously opened, and I got one hell of a surprise in my room. Oh Sam, I feel your pain. Sorry this took so long, but a lot of stuff came up and then my computer shut down when I was almost done, so of course I had to start all over again. Grrr. To make up for a few missed updates I made this chapter super long. And on with the story! Disclaimer: Marvel is no longer accepting my calls, so I still don't own the Avengers yet. I do not condone under age drinking, but Sam of course heals quickly and therefore doesn't really get drunk, plus she's in a safe environment and won't be driving.

The rest of the afternoon Sam spent shut up in her room, trying to get some form of work done. She had turned on some background music and was taking notes on the next chapter for her geography quiz. It was so hard to pay attention though. Her mind kept wandering as she doodled in the margins of her notebook. 'Call Me Maybe' started to play for the second time that day, and Sam started to smile, thinking back on what happened that morning. It was nice to see Steve so care-free and laughing. Normally he looked so serious.

"Excuse me, Miss," JARVIS interrupted as he stopped her music. "Dinner is now ready up on the top floor."

"Thank you, JARVIS. I'll head up there now," Sam replied. She didn't know what it was about the AI that always had her using complete manners. It was probably the British accent.

Apparently Sam was the last person to arrive. She took the only open seat between Natasha and Steve as Pepper was setting everything else down on the table and took her seat next to Tony. Sam noticed that the bread they had made earlier had been cut up and arranged neatly on one of the plates.

"Everything looks amazing, Pepper," Sam said.

"Thank you. I heard you and Steve were baking earlier. I can't wait to try your bread," she replied. Natasha and Clint exchanged a smirk, which Bruce caught. He gave Clint a questioning stare, to which Clint mouthed 'later'. It was too late though; most of the table had already caught on. Bruce really needed a lesson in subtlety.

"Clint and I went to SHIELD today. Fury has a group mission for the whole team to go on tomorrow," Natasha changed the subject.

"Oh, that quick huh. Not that I'm nervous or anything, but I kind of figured there would be some sort of initiation process. You know, taking a penny from the Sensei's palm, climbing a giant pole, something like that."

"Well, you'll mostly be in the background. You won't see much action," Clint said. Sam stared at him. "I mean, you'll be in the secondary team." Clint tried to backpedal.

"Back up duty. Gotcha," Sam said.

"Speaking of team things, don't forget the Masquerade Benefit Ball a few nights from now. The benefit for the Avengers," Tony clarified when no one responded. "Seriously, I go to all the trouble to plan a party and no one cares. That hurts, guys. My parties are fun." Sam laughed at everyone else's reaction.

"Not so fast, Chuckles. You're going too," Tony told her.

"Um, wait a minute. I thought part of the deal was that I stay a secret as long as possible. Doesn't showing up at a ball for the Avengers kind of defeat that purpose," Sam asked.

"There will be plenty of other people there. You can pretend to be some rich benefactor's daughter. And everyone is wearing a mask. You're going, Cinderella." Sam sighed. She would go for an hour or so and then slip away.

"It will be just like prom," Bruce told her.

"Great. The punch will be spiked and condom wrappers will cover the floor," Sam replied.

"Prom has gotten very different from when I went to school apparently," Bruce said. The conversation continued to flow on from there as everyone at their dinner. After the pound cake was reduced to crumbs Tony got up and made an announcement.

"Okay, everyone. Since we're doing a team mission tomorrow with a new member I think it's time for a little group bonding," he said as he walked towards the living room.

"That's actually a nice idea Tony," Steve said. Then Tony approached the bar and started grabbing crystal bottles. "I take that back. Come on, Stark. Some of us aren't even old enough to drink." He looked pointedly at Sam.

"Don't worry, it's a drinking game. She'll only have to do a couple of shots at most," Tony said. "Think you can handle that much liquor?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I'm not a light weight. It's the opposite. My body regenerates too quickly, so I have to drink about twenty shots or so for my liver to try to play catch up."

"I feel like I've been issued a challenge," Tony grinned as he set the bottles on the coffee table and went back for glasses. Natasha and Clint sat around the table. They figured that as far as team exercises went, they could do a lot worse than getting drunk. Bruce however tried backing towards the elevator.

"I think I'll just head down to the lab," he said.

"What's the matter, Banner? Afraid of getting smashed," Tony asked.

"Afraid of you getting smashed," he replied.

"You can take a sip of beer instead of a shot if that makes you happy," Tony said. Bruce sighed and grabbed a bottle of beer. He wasn't going to win this one. Even if he made a clean getaway to the lab Tony would annoy him for a week straight.

"This still isn't a good idea," Steve started to protest.

Sam leaned over to him and whispered, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. Tony will most likely get drunk in the first five minutes and we can all make our escapes." Steve resigned himself to accept this fact and took the seat next to Sam on the couch to make sure she didn't get too drunk. Then she raised her volume so the rest of the group could hear her say, "I wasn't part of a sorority for a reason. Living here is going to make me fail college."

"Oh please, I was nineteen when I graduated college and all I ever did was party and get drunk. Then again, I am a genius. You'll probably fail," Tony said as he passed out drinks.

"Hey now. I used to be a genius like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee," Sam said. Anyone who got the reference (mainly Tony, Bruce, and Clint) started to laugh. Clint had an entirely unprecedented reaction and laughed so hard he had tears. Steve obviously didn't get the joke. He narrowed his eyes at the archer, wondering what he had to do with it.

"It's a pop culture reference to a game," Sam explained before Steve could accuse Clint. "I didn't actually get hit in the knee, not that Clint could ever hit me." Clint sobered right up at that.

"Are you saying that it's impossible for me to hit you? Because believe me, I can," Clint said. Not really the best thing to say. Before Sam or Steve, who was starting to get mad at his choice of words, could respond Bruce cut in.

"Okay, I think it's time to start drinking," he announced.

"Good idea, Bruce. I think we'll play 'I Have Never' since that's a game everyone knows. Why don't you start if you're so enthusiastic all of a sudden," Tony said.

Bruce looked directly at Tony. This was all his fault. "I have never worn a miniskirt." Both Tony and Natasha took a shot. Clint glanced over at Sam.

"What," she said defensively. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean it's required to wear. You're a guy, that doesn't mean you've worn a kilt or a Speedo. I'm more interested as to why Tony had to drink to that."

"Good point. Do we have to explain our answers," Bruce asked. He seemed nervous. Sam wondered what the doctor would be worried about people finding out.

"Sure, why the hell not. Well, I was in Tokyo and got absolutely wasted with this hot," Tony broke off his sentence when he looked over at Steve, who was still not enjoying this idea. "Anyway, I woke up alone and naked in the hotel stairwell and the only clothes nearby were my t-shirt and her miniskirt. I think I pulled it off quite nicely. And now it's my turn. I have never...what was it? Had a goat in my closet."

Sam rolled her eyes as she took the shot that was made directly for her. "I suppose you want the story for that? It was a few months ago. Our neighbor's 21st birthday. We borrowed a goat from our friend's parent's farm and Amber and I used this pink hairspray and decorated it. It was completely safe and the goat was tame, so it's not like it was bad. The goat's name was Rainbow Jack. Then we put on a party hat that looked like a horn for a unicorn and just when we were about to put it in her yard she came over, so I hid it in the hall closet really quick. Then Amber distracted her and I ran the thing over to her backyard." Most of the people in the room were giving her curious looks, trying to decide if she was serious or not.

"Sir, sorry to interrupt but you have an important business call," JARVIS announced. Tony stood up to go take the call.

The remaining people in the room glanced around at each other. "Scatter," Bruce suggested. It wasn't long before Tony came back and found out that everyone had disappeared into their different hiding places within the tower.

The next morning Sam woke up at six and joined Steve in the gym once again. They got so absorbed in what they were doing that they didn't stop until it was almost nine. Which worked out pretty well for Natasha and Clint. They wound up being the first two in the kitchen, followed by Bruce.

"What were you two up to last night at the table anyway," Bruce suddenly remembered.

"Don't you see it," Natasha asked. "Steve and Sam like each other."

"Is this grade school," Bruce said. It was too early for this.

Natasha sighed. "Oh come on. The way they look at each other, something has to be going on. Yesterday me and Clint walked in on them in the kitchen and they were up to something in there."

"I, for one, think it's nice. Steve could use something nice. And hopefully Sam can get him to loosen up a little," Clint said.

"I don't know. It could be nothing," Bruce said.

"You just pay attention today and tell me that you don't see it," Natasha responded. "You'll be trying to get them together just as much as us."

"I just want to drink my coffee," Bruce said. He really didn't want to get sucked into this. In fact, he was debating whether or not to mention it to Steve, but Natasha was giving him a pretty serious glare. Something told him that if Steve even suspected something he was the first one Natasha would go after. Great. Just then Pepper walked in and grabbed a mug from over the counter.

"Pepper, you see it don't you," Natasha asked. "There has to be something going on between Steve and Sam."

"Oh, I agree," Pepper said as she added creamer to her cup. "There's something there. Where are they now?"

"They're still training in the gym together," Clint said. It appeared that was incriminating evidence in itself. Or they were, because the elevator dinged open and Sam stepped out and headed straight over to get herself a cup of coffee. She wasn't a big coffee drinker, but it was one of those mornings. She couldn't get a lot of sleep last night. Damn insomnia.

As she stirred some cream into her cup she took in the tension in the room. Most people wouldn't notice it, but four years of high school had taught her that she just walked in on them talking about her. She took a sip of her coffee and frowned. What were they talking about? The mission? She supposed it was normal for them to be concerned about having her join the team and go without much experience with them. She didn't take it personally. She knew that after they got out there she would prove she could handle it; she may not have had much experience working with a team, but she did things like this as her hobby.

"Something wrong," Pepper asked innocently when she saw Sam frown.

"Needs more sugar," she replied easily as she added another spoonful. Unless they brought up whatever was bothering them she wasn't going to talk about it. It didn't really bother her anyway.

Steve entered and grabbed himself a container of yogurt as he joined in the morning conversation. As a rule, they avoided talking about anything important until breakfast was over. It wasn't like anyone was awake enough to process it.

Tony walked into the living room and they saw him turn with his back to the kitchen and mess with something on the table. He was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, which was a little too casual for their day. Then he turned around. There was a hole in the shirt cut perfect for the arc reactor and beneath that what looked like a barber shop pole. He was a light house.

"Very cute," he said to Sam with a grin. "I'll admit, you got me. It's funny. But I'm going to need my clothes back after breakfast." The group laughed as they realized it was Sam's retaliation to the pigeon incident.

They went straight to SHIELD after Tony changed and had breakfast. "It's nice to meet you, Samantha," Fury said as he shook her hand. The girl was interesting. Usually new recruits were already terrified at the sight of his imposing presence and eye patch, but this girl was unaffected. He knew she had a back bone based off of the videos he watched, but it was impressive to see. Not a lot of people could look Director Fury in the eye with the same casualness she affected.

"You can call me Sam," she replied. She knew she was being judged based off of her first impression, so she tried to be polite yet still show she had a spine. She didn't want anyone to think she was a suck up or else too afraid. After that the meeting went quickly. There was a terrorist organization based an hour or so away that SHIELD had recently identified. They had a nice little compound with about seventy men. The Avengers were supposed to infiltrate, steal their files, and then uproot them. Terrorist organizations were tricky, like root canals. You had to make sure you got it all, or else it could continue to spread.

The flight on the quinjet was a new experience for Sam. There was easy conversation throughout the flight, but there was an undercurrent to it. They all knew what was coming and were trying to avoid any sort of serious conversation, instead focusing on random things such as the benefit ball, which Tony was still going on about. Sam went with it; she had never been a part of a team, and even though she was close with Amber and had a huge group of friends she had never talked to any of them with the mindset of going into battle right after. It was interesting.

However, as Sam was positioned up in the rafters opposite of Clint, she quickly grew bored. Normally, she was in and out. Even when she wasn't immediately attacking she was doing recon, not just sitting somewhere. She looked down and spied where Natasha and Steve were hidden in the large main room of the center building. It was mostly an open space, with a few private offices to the side. That's where Tony was, busily hacking into their computer system. Bruce was once again outside. He didn't want to be too close until the fireworks started, afraid the Hulk might make an early appearance.

Sam started to hum to herself as she watched an angry looking man walk in. He must be one of the big guys, because the other men in the building scrambled around like ants when he walked in. She was really wishing she had thought to bring a crossword puzzle or something.

"Who's humming the Imperial March," Tony asked through the comms system.

"Oops," Sam replied.

"You doing okay over there," Clint asked.

Sam rolled her eyes even though no one could see the gesture. "I'm bored. By this time I could have been done and out of here. If Tony moves any slower I'm going to get him a walker."

"Hey now, cradle baby. Just because you have a short attention span doesn't mean that I should have to pay for it," Tony said.

"Guys," Steve pleaded through the earpiece. "Can you please be serious about the mission for five minutes."

"Steve. It's me. I take nothing seriously. You should know this by now," Sam said. "I kind of thought that was obvious."

"Boredom over. A big caravan of cars just pulled in," Bruce said from his vantage point outside. "Looks like they're about to get the party started."

"Yay. I love parties," Sam said.

"I knew you wanted to go to the benefit," Tony said as he finished up hacking their system.

"Oh please. I don't even have a dress for it. And a masked ball for superheroes. Could you be any more cliched if you tried," Sam said. Maybe it was because she was looking for Tony to reappear as she waited for his reply, but she was the first to notice the two men who turned the corner and started heading directly towards the office Tony was in. Acting quickly, Sam teleported down there and took out both men with a few throwing knives before they touched the handle of the door. Sam was back up in the rafters before anyone else but Clint took in what happened. He had seen her disappear and shot her a questioning look when she got back.

Tony slipped out of the office and almost tripped over the bodies. "Sam," he said like he was lecturing a five year old,"what have I told you about leaving your toys sitting out." There were knives sticking out of their backs. Whoops.

The rest of it went according to plan. Sam and Clint stayed up in the rafters and shot down below while Steve and Natasha fought on the ground. Tony flew around in his Iron Man suit and picked off whoever he could. Once most of the work was done Hulk came in and destroyed the compound.

"Who wants ice cream," Tony asked as the last building crumbled to the ground behind them.

They had a quick debriefing at SHIELD before heading back to the tower. Sam was just settling into a spot on the couch when Pepper walked in.

"Hey Pepper," Sam called.

"Sam, I was just looking for you. I figured we could go shopping. I'll take you somewhere to get a dress for the benefit," Pepper said. Sam perked up a little. Shopping wasn't her favorite thing, but at least this time she would have some fun. In the short time she had been here she had started to like Pepper. She was genuinely nice and more like an older sister to her.

"Sure, just let me grab my stuff," Sam said as she got up.

"You won't need it," Pepper said with a smile. "I've got Tony's credit card." Sam grinned. Now she was really looking forward to shopping.

Downstairs Natasha knocked on Steve's door and stuck her head in. "Hey Steve, can you join me in the gym?"

"Sure," he replied. "Just let me get changed." He was always willing to help his team mates.

A few minutes later he walked through the gym doors and turned to see Natasha shut the door and lock it.

"Uh, Natasha," he said. He wasn't sure why the door just got locked, but he had a feeling it wasn't good. She smiled back at him. Really not good.

"The benefit is in a few days," she said. "And now, I'm going to teach you to dance."

A/N: Sorry for how long it was. I got carried away by the feels. Anyway, one of my friends gave me a review of my story that was, shall we say, 'critical', in nicest terms. At first I was upset by her criticizing my use of an OC and "lack of refined writing skills", but then I realized something. All of these wonderful strangers have read my story and favorited it and left amazing reviews. Furthermore, I enjoy writing it. So as long as you all are willing to read, I am more than willing to continue posting chapters for you. On with the story!